Joel Klatt predicts seeding for this year's College Football Playoff

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt predicted the seeding for this year's College Football Playoff ahead of Week 6. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff picture took on sharper definition this week when Joel Klatt laid out a full 1-to-12 projection on his Wednesday episode of his podcast. With the playoff entering its second year of a 12-team bracket, Klatt explained that this season’s top four seeds — and first-round byes — go to the four best teams, not just conference champions.

His predictions factored in key results already on the board, conference paths, and looming showdowns that could shift resumes in October and November.

Klatt placed the Ohio State Buckeyes in the top spot, with Miami, Oregon, and Texas joining them on the bye line. He filled out the bracket with Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, and South Florida, giving a snapshot of what he believes the postseason could look like by January.

Ohio State Leads Top Four Projection

Klatt began his bracket with Ohio State. “If you were to get Oregon and Ohio State playing as undefeated, the champion would obviously be the number one seed overall. So that’s Ohio State. I have them winning, and they would be the number one seed, and they would be getting one of the byes in this scenario.”

Next came Miami, which he tied to a predicted ACC championship. “I think Miami beats Florida State this week. I think that they win the ACC and they, in all likelihood, would be an undefeated or at worst a one-loss team. And I think Miami would be the number two seed overall.”

By winning the Big Ten, per Joel Klatt's prediction, the Ohio State Buckeyes and quarterback Julian Sayin (10) would earn the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon landed third, slotted there as an unbeaten that falls in the Big Ten title game. “If Oregon were to play Ohio State as an undefeated and lose, they would be the three seed in this situation.” He placed Texas fourth as SEC champion despite the potential of another loss.

“Texas as the SEC champ would end up being the fourth seed. I have them winning that league, and yet I could see them stumbling along the way.”

Depth Across SEC And At-Large Spots

Texas Tech was penciled in at No. 5, Klatt saying the Red Raiders’ defense, led by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, makes them the class of the Big 12. Ole Miss followed at No. 6. “Their SEC schedule is not as difficult as other SEC schedules. You look at the win that they had last weekend over LSU, and it’s Ole Miss.”

The seven through ten range was filled by SEC and Big Ten heavyweights. Texas A&M landed at No. 7, Alabama at No. 8, Penn State at No. 9, and Georgia at No. 10. Klatt noted Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson’s upside and Georgia’s chance to run through its remaining slate at 10-2.

Joel Klatt believes Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) is one of the top quarterbacks in college football. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame grabbed the No. 11 seed despite a rocky start. “I think Notre Dame comes all the way back, and they get into this thing. They are left for dead right now, but Notre Dame is going to come all the way back and be 10-2. If they run the table, they would get in. The losses would be, remember, at Miami, which was a tie game in the final two minutes, and A&M — one play away from winning that game.” He added that the committee would weigh those losses differently given opponent strength.

South Florida rounded out the bracket at No. 12 as Klatt’s top Group of 6 representative. “I think South Florida is still a team that, at their top end, is probably the best team in that league,” he said, citing wins over Florida and Boise State.

In the 12-team format, the top four seeds receive byes while seeds 5 through 12 face off in on-campus games. Klatt’s setup would feature Texas Tech vs. South Florida, Ole Miss vs. Notre Dame, Texas A&M vs. Georgia, and Alabama vs. Penn State in the opening round. From there, the winners would move on to meet the top four seeds in the New Year’s Six quarterfinals.

Joel Klatt's College Football Playoff Seeding Prediction

1. Ohio State
2. Miami
3. Oregon
4. Texas
5. Texas Tech
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Alabama
9. Penn State
10. Georgia
11. Notre Dame
12. South Florida